What scientifically makes us a particular sex or gender

[ananda]

So? People still have the right to autonomy and self-determination, whether or not it causes suffering.

Of course, I'm not saying that they don't or shouldn't have autonomy or self-determination.

I'm saying it's ultimately futile to attempt to change and control externals, when the actual problem is internal.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

I'm saying it's ultimately futile to attempt to change and control externals, when the actual problem is internal.

The internal and the external are intimately connected. Internal problems are often (usually?) the result of external influences, and sometimes the most effective way to help an internal problem is to change and/or control the externals.

 

[ananda]

The internal and the external are intimately connected. Internal problems are often (usually?) the result of external influences, and sometimes the most effective way to help an internal problem is to change and/or control the externals.

I don't deny that.

From a Buddhist viewpoint: when internal issues are addressed, external conditions become irrelevant. Changing external conditions sometimes offers temporary relief for internal issues, but does not resolve the internal issue directly.

 

[stevevw]

I've posted this question under physical and life sciences as I don't know if there is a more suitable place.
As transgenderism is coming to the fore so much nowadays, I just wondered what, if any research has been done on this? I don't want any discussion as to whether it's against God's will or whatever, I simply want to understand from a scientific pov.

From what I understand 'sex' and 'gender' are two different things (I'd always assumed they were the same thing before).

I am a woman (female) and I definitely don't feel like a man and wouldn't want to be one (except for practical reasons, such as it would be really handy when taken short to be able to 'go' behind a lamp-post LOL). But what a pain to have to shave! How awful not to be pregnant and give birth! I think it must be awful being a man. But, of course, conversely men might think they'd hate to be a woman.

But what makes a man feel like a man? What makes a woman feel like a woman? What makes a person, born male, feel female...and vice-versa?

I know some women who one might say, have more 'masculine' traits, and some men who have more 'feminine' traits, but so far as I know, they still see themselves as male and female. So, does it depend on some hormonal or chemical thing, or the way the brain's wired up?

One thing I don't understand is why men who 'become women' (sorry, not well put probably), from what I've seen seem to want to wear high heels, do their hair, put on make-up etc. Do they like doing that? Or is it because they feel that is what a woman does? I mean, as a woman, I've never been particularly into make-up and 'prettying myself up'. I've always tended to like practical hair cuts and practical clothes...men's clothes tend to be far more practical than women's (that's not to say that I wear men's clothes , just that I tend go for women's practical clothing like jeans etc...just wish women's clothes had sensible pockets). I suppose what I'm saying is that I don't think it's a prerequisite to being female that one wears make-up etc.

If there are any transgender people here, as well as medical or science people, if you would give any insight as well, that would be great.

I think transgender is the result of a number of things such as hormones, genetics, neurological changes and enviromental influences. There are some studies relating to being gay and sexual orientation that may give some insights such as,

Evidence from independent research groups who studied twins shows that genetic factors explain about 25-30% of the differences between people in sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and bisexual). Twin studies are a first look into the genetics of a trait and tell us that there are such things as “genes for sexual orientation”. Three gene finding studies showed that gay brothers share genetic markers on the X chromosome; the most recent study also found shared markers on chromosome 8.

Rather than one or two genes there may be a number of genes that each has an effect.
For example, complex psychological traits have many causal genes (not simply “a gay gene”). But each of these genes has a small effect on the trait so do not reach traditional levels of statistical significance. In other words, lots of genes which do influence sexual orientation may fall under the radar. But scientific techniques will eventually catch up.

Genes are far from the whole story. Sex hormones in prenatal life play a role. For example, girls born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which results in naturally increased levels of male sex hormones, show relatively high rates of same-sex attractions as adults. Further evidence comes from genetic males who, through accidents, or being born without penises, were subjected to sex change and raised as girls. As adults these men are typically attracted to women. The fact that you cannot make a genetic male sexually attracted to another male by raising him as a girl makes any social theory of sexuality very weak. Genes could themselves nudge one towards a particular sexual orientation or genes may simply interact with other environmental factors (such as sex hormones in the womb environment) to influence later sexual orientation.

The brains of gay and heterosexual people also appear to be organised differently. For example patterns of brain organisation appear similar between gay men and heterosexual women and between lesbian women and heterosexual men. Gay men appear, on average, more “female typical” in brain pattern responses and lesbian women are somewhat more “male typical”. Differences in brain organisation mean differences in psychology and study after study show differences in cognition between heterosexual and gay people. Thus gay differences are not just about who you fancy. They are reflected in our psychology and the ways we relate to others. The influence of biology runs throughout our sexual and gendered lives and those differences, that diversity, is surely to be celebrated.
'Gay genes': science is on the right track, we're born this way. Let’s deal with it.

 

[Sammy-San]

It is about their feelings about who they are.

This is distinct from, say, people with physically ambiguous external genitalia, where doctors make a diagnosis independent of any feelings.

https://www.quora.com/Are-breasts-part-of-the-reproductive-system-in-a-female

No they are just made for post parturition activities to feed the young ones.